Cake, Tea And All Things Small
by PukkaPudding
Summary: Emiko feels her height holds her back sometimes. Upon entering Ouran, she's determined to make people see past that, as she joins the kendo club in her first grade and makes it her goal to be at the top of her class. Anything for family honour. But what happens when she steps on Kyoya's toes? Can Mori protect her? MorixOC/KyoyaxOC
1. Small Things

This is my very first story, and I'm excited to see everyone's reactions to it! (^o^)

I decided to start off the story with a short intro, just to see if anyone likes it. If that happens to be the case, I'll add more chapters as soon as I can. :)

Enjoy!

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><p>"Kyoya, let's go! I want to see the results!" A cheery Tamaki was dragging Kyoya towards the boards, where the results of their end terms were. "I studied so hard, I have a very good feeling about this!" Tamaki's purple eyes started to run over all the names on the list as they arrived at the board, but Kyoya seemed disinterested. "I'm sure we both did great," Tamaki added.<p>

"Naturally," Kyoya replied coolly, not bothering to look at the list. He knew he'd be at the top of class. If he as much as lost a point, it was nothing more than a mistake on the teacher's part while correcting. Kyoya was, after all, meticulous. He pushed up his glasses calmly, waiting for Tamaki to be done.

"I got fourth place," Tamaki grinned. He really was an idiot to be happy about something like that. Kyoya sighed. Could they go now?

"Um, Kyoya," Tamaki turned to his best friend slowly, "someone scored more than you."

What? Impossible.

Kyoya's eyes snapped to the board. What imbecile managed to score more than him? It was surely a mistake. It had to be. He couldn't fail in his first year, it would ruin everything he'd worked for thus far. But indeed, someone's name _was_ above his. His stomach made a violent turn as he read the name.

_Emiko Ayamine._

However, almost as soon as the immense feeling overcame him, it vanished when he noticed _why_ her name was above his. "Tamaki," Kyoya growled, very much annoyed at the blonde, "that girl scored the same as me. We share the top spot."

Tamaki gave the list a better look and laughed nervously, his hand nestled on the back of his head. "Oh, heh, yeah, sorry. I guess I didn't look at it properly. So, lunch?" Was _this_ his apology for nearly giving Kyoya a heart attack? He should call his police force on this idiot. Preferably at a ghastly hour in the morning, when he's asleep. He'd most likely be in the middle of drooling all over himself with a stupid expression on his face. Kyoya smirked at the thought, giving the plan great consideration before leaving with Tamaki for lunch.

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><p>Now in second grade, Kyoya had never failed to get the top score. As if he had anyone to compete with, anyway. Well, except for that <em>stupid girl<em>. He was always closely tailed by Emiko, as if she was trying to prove something by prancing around in his shadow. She reserved anywhere from second to third spot, and sometimes they shared scores and thus the first place. And Kyoya wasn't big on sharing.

Her pedigree was acceptable. She was the daughter of Hachiro Ayamine, the owner of the Ayamine company. He'd divorced his wife some years ago, who was a famous lawyer. She was going by her maiden name now, Suzuki. Madoka Suzuki.

Of course, amongst some other things, he also knew her blood type, weight, height, date of birth, current home location, hobbies and people she associated with frequently. The last of which counted a pathetic zero, if one ignored club activities. Despite memorising everything, he kept the files neatly stashed away with all the information he'd collected of other classmates. If he was to succeed in life as a business man, as the heir of the Ootori company, he had to know the ins and outs of his enemies and friends. He had to know how people ticked and why. It was a matter of power.

He wouldn't usually waste any extra thoughts on his classmates, but thanks to Tamaki's _little slip up_ last year, he'd tied Emiko's name to unpleasant thoughts, and was now stuck feeling a lot of disdain for this person. And seeing as she was in Kyoya's class, it was hard to avoid getting annoyed just about every hour they had lessons at Ouran.

He looked back at one of the seats behind him, which she was ... sleeping in? _That girl had the nerve to sleep during break in public like that?_ Didn't she have any manners? Her light brown hair was all over the desk. The flush on her cheeks made her look more ridiculous, if even possible. She was obviously enjoying this too much.

He turned towards the blackboard, unable to look at her any longer. This girl didn't know shame, apparently.

On top of everything, her height really irked him. She barely reached 4'8''. In short (puns aside), she was a joke. She was lucky her family was passing on their company to her. With that height, surely no competent employer would take her seriously.

_He'd never been a fan of small, cute things. _Something about them made him feel like doing a lot of squishing and twisting. Ayamine definitely fit this description of a small thing. But luckily, class would start any moment, giving him something better to concentrate on.

The next day, her seat was empty. Empty and somehow even more pathetic-looking without her. Kyoya was amused at the thought, as he didn't think it possible. Several classes later, it was still empty.

Now that he thought about it, Ayamine had never missed classes before. She must've fallen ill, which explained her stupidity yesterday. It certainly didn't excuse her actions, of course. Sick or not, Kyoya wouldn't stoop down to that level. It was an embarrassment, and he didn't think very highly of anyone who felt the freedom of acting in such a childish manner.

On the way to the host club that same day, Tamaki was being annoying. Well, that's nothing out of the usual, really. Tamaki was simply a bundle of annoyance, no matter what mood he seemed to be in. However, he really stepped on Kyoya's nerves right before the club activities started, when he suggested the most annoying thing he possibly could. He suggested they be "noble Japanese" and bring Ayamine their homework and notes.

Kyoya was strongly reconsidering calling the police force on him now, regretting he hadn't done that before.

However, as an Ootori, he had to uphold his image and maintain good relationships with everyone. It was profitable, he repeated in his head. _Profitable._ It would just be a visit, securing him new information about her whereabouts, family and ties between their families, should they ever consider business.

As Haruhi finally joined the host club, the Hitachiin brothers latched around her like snakes. "Hey, Haruhi," started one of them, a sly smirk on his face. The other one continued for him, "Tono said we get to go on a field trip this Saturday." At that, Haruhi's face fell into a frown. "I don't think I'll be going with you guys, sorry."

"Haruhi, my sweet daughter," Tamaki cried, now a sad cloud over his head. "I've already ordered you a cute dress for the trip!" he pouted, pulling out a horrible frilly monstrosity. "You must come with daddy!" Haruhi's face contorted, most likely at the dress _and_Tamaki's inappropriate behaviour. The blonde looked over at Kyoya and cried, "Mother, help me!"

Kyoya sighed. If he had to suffer, then everyone would. The commoner was going down with him. He got up calmly and flashed a smile at Haruhi. "Dare I remind you of your debts and, therefore, your duty to the host club?" Kyoya said, and continued as he gestured towards Tamaki, "Not to mention, you know he'll go out of his way to drag you out of your apartment with us."

Haruhi cringed, undoubtedly thinking about everything that was to unfold if she declined. They'd make a scene at her peaceful neighbourhood, there was no doubt about that. Haruhi sighed, "Alright. Where are we going?"


	2. Cake

Thank you all for taking the time to review, favourite and follow my story! I am so honoured! I will try my best to come up with more good content for all of you! &(*.*)

Here's the second chapter. Enjoy!

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><p>It was a lovely Saturday morning. The weather was just right, and the birds were chirping softly. Mori and Mitsukuni were on their way to Haruhi's apartment. They were tasked with picking her up, as she refused to come if there was a commotion at her neighbourhood. And he understood. She must've had Tamaki and the twins in mind. Those three had a good way of causing a lot of noise and mischief. Not that Mori minded, it was just the way they were. But he knew it bothered Haruhi at times.<p>

As soon as Mitsukuni sighted Haruhi, his eyes grew wide with joy and flowers nestled themselves all over his small frame, rotating cheerily around him. Mori liked the way Mitsukuni reacted when Haruhi was around. She seemed to enforce the happy child-like part of Mitsukuni's personality, and Mori appreciated that about her. It meant Mitsukuni was happy and relaxed.

"Haru-chan!" Mitsukuni's small hand was waving frantically at the approaching Haruhi.

She smiled and waved back as she came up to them. "Good morning," she said.

"Haru-chan, you look so nice!"

Mori silently agreed as he looked at the young girl standing in front of him. She was wearing fairly plain clothing, which consisted of a short white shirt, a purple sleeveless Summer-sweater, loose black trousers and a pair of brown shoes. Somehow, despite how ordinary the outfit was, she looked very pleasant and neat. It was amazing. Haruhi was the only girl he knew that didn't put immense amounts of effort into her appearance, and yet she managed to look good no matter what she was wearing. But he supposed that was the way some commoners were? He wasn't sure, as he'd grown up being surrounded by wealthy people, for whom image meant a lot. That meant all the girls surrounding him tried to look their best at all times, and thus spent a lot of time and money on their appearances each day.

Haruhi looked down at herself, then back at Mitsukuni. "I don't think it's anything special, but thank you, Honey-senpai. You two look very nice, too," she replied politely, with a warm smile, as they started to walk towards the limo that was waiting for them a few streets away.

Mori supposed he wasn't wearing anything special, either. He'd put on a beige pair of shorts and a short-sleeved green shirt. It wasn't exactly hot, but he'd always been more resistant to cooler weather, so this suited him. He gazed at the blonde walking merrily beside him. Just as Haruhi said, Mitsukuni did look nice. Not that Mori hadn't noticed before, but he didn't give it too much thought. Not to mention, Mitsukuni always looked nice, if anyone was to ask Mori.

Haruhi stopped dead in her tracks at the sight that stood before them. Several people had come out to see why a limo was parked outside of their homes. There was a wave of murmurs going around the neighbourhood, all emitting from the commoners standing around the vehicle. Was it really so rare to see a limo here? That was the second time they'd appeared with one to visit Haruhi, and both times, it seemed to catch everyone's attention.

Haruhi's face contorted into a twitching scowl as a dark shadow cast upon her features. She looked slowly at the two boys standing beside her. "I'm guessing that's yours? I was hoping we'd be less ... flashy."

Mitsukuni pouted up at her. "Sorry, Haru-chan! We thought it'd be okay to leave it here, since it's away from your neighbourhood."

But she shook her head, stating it's alright. "Let's just go before this gets more awkward," she muttered before they hurried to the limo and left to meet the rest of the host club.

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><p>"Haruhi!" A blushing, wiggling Tamaki was standing beside Kyoya and the twins as the limo arrived, and the trio stepped out. They were meeting near a street corner, where a small cafe was. It was bustling with people.<p>

"You're late," stated Kyoya simply, staring at Haruhi.

She frowned. "Were we supposed to be here at a certain time?"

"No," Kyoya said, correcting his glasses, "but you made us wait."

Mori didn't feel any dislike for the dark-haired host, but sometimes he was rude and cold to Haruhi. That was something he could never care for when it came to Kyoya. But the dark-haired giant remained quiet, observing the situation.

Tamaki turned to Kyoya, eyebrows furrowed. "Kyoya, don't be so mean." The blonde turned back to Haruhi, a big smile on his face. "As long as I get to be with my daughter, all is well! I'd wait here for years just to be with my Haruhi!" He danced over to her, roses and sparkles blooming around him. "And in case you change your mind," he started, pulling out the dress he tried to make Haruhi wear a few days ago, "I brought the dress with me! I can just imagine you in it already! So cute!" He was blushing and wiggling about, lost in his daydreams.

Haruhi sighed, but remained patient. "No, senpai, it's alright, I'm quite comfortable in my current clothes. Plus, aren't we meeting a girl from your class today?" She pointed at the dress. "Don't you think it would make things somewhat difficult, seeing as we're trying to hide my gender?" At that, Tamaki's wiggles and sparkles stopped, and his face fell somewhat. It reminded Mori of a sad puppy.

Kyoya gave a loud sigh before he turned around and walked away. He seemed irritated. Was something bothering him? Surely it wasn't just because they were late, it took more than that to upset the Shadow King. Was he in a hurry to be somewhere?

Mori put the thoughts aside as soon as they entered the busy shopping area. It was very lovely. There were various shops all over the place, and the buildings were decorated in various colours and lights. He didn't really have any specific places he wanted to visit, so he just followed the rest of them around.

They first went to a sweets shop. It was a huge store with all kinds of cakes, pastries, hard candy and other sweet foods. It was very colourful thanks to all the sweets on display and the smells that came from them seemed to change with every step he took.

Marzipan. Chocolate. Liquorice. Caramel. The list went on. Some of the smells were foreign to Mori.

Mitsukuni was extremely excited. Mori had to keep him from buying the entire shop. It's not that he didn't want Mitsukuni to have everything he wanted. Because if he could, he'd give him the world and then some more. But Mitsukuni was a bottomless pit when it came to sweet foods, and Mori had to be careful not to let him have too much, or he'd get another cavity. And that was something Mori wasn't going to let happen again.

Haruhi seemed intrigued by all the pastries on display. "I might buy a few for my dad. What do you think, Honey-senpai? Would you like to help me pick out a few sweets?" Naturally, the small blonde was overjoyed and skipped over to Haruhi, forgetting his plan to overtake the shop. Mori's mouth cracked into the slightest smile. She knew how to keep Mitsukuni calm and enjoy himself.

Tamaki bought several bags of sweets, exclaiming cheerfully they were for his father and servants. Haruhi turned to him with furrowed eyebrows. "Don't you think it's rude if we appear with bags full of candy, and don't bring anything for your classmate?"

Tamaki froze and seemed to consider the brunette's words. "Oh, Haruhi! You're right! We don't want to be rude! My sweet daughter, what would daddy do without you?"

But Tamaki ended up standing at one of the counters, staring at cakes for 5 minutes with a lost expression on his face. "Um, Haruhi? What should I pick? I'm not sure what Emiko-san likes."

Haruhi blinked. "How do you not know? Isn't she your classmate, Tamaki-senpai?"

"Heh, well, I guess I don't know her that well."

Haruhi sighed and shook her head.

Mitsukuni looked at Tamaki. "I don't know her that well, either, but maybe Takashi can help out. They go to kendo together, ne, Takashi?"

Mori shifted ever so slightly, feeling put on the spot. If he was to be honest, he didn't know Ayamine that well, either. Besides training, he'd only seen her in the hallways and dining hall so far. But their interactions were always very polite and pleasant, so he thought she's a nice person and ... well, that was about it. There wasn't enough information to judge her beyond that.

But despite that, he walked over to Tamaki and looked at the cakes. Which one would Ayamine like? If he had to guess, she seemed like the kind of person that enjoyed sweets. Or maybe it was her likeness to Mitsukuni that lead to that conclusion. He imagined her brown eyes peering up at him. The similarity between her and Mori's cousin made him feel a bit overwhelmed.

Mori blinked, mentally returning to the arrangement of cakes. A lot of them seemed too colourful for Ayamine. She seemed reserved, but sweet.

Cherry cream cake? No, that wasn't quite right.

Lemon cheesecake? Too bitter.

Chocolate hazelnut cream cake with almonds? She might be allergic to nuts.

Caramel cheesecake? The caramel made Mori think about Ayamine's hair, but she wouldn't like it just because an ingredient matched her hair colour.

Strawberry shortcake? His eyes lingered on it for a moment. Sweet. Refreshing. Simple. Doesn't taste too strong. Fresh strawberries that made him think about warm days.

That was the closest guess he had, and he hoped it was right. He pointed at it, and the lady behind the counter nodded politely, then proceeded to package the cake.

Several shops later, they were bursting with shopping bags and gifts. Mori himself hadn't bought anything, but was helping Mitsukuni and Tamaki carry their purchases. The twins were both carrying some goods, as well. It was a commoner area, so things were much cheaper than they were used to.

Haruhi picked out the next shop, stating that she's short on some school supplies. It was a big store with all kinds of merchandise. There were notebooks, writing utensils, paper, even keychains and stuffed animals, not to mention countless other goods. Mori strolled around while Haruhi was somewhere between shopping and keeping the twins from harassing the staff, and the others were having a look around as well. He stumbled upon a stuffed cat and picked it up. It was small and soft, with light brown fur and big brown eyes. A simple light pink ribbon was tied around its neck.

He blinked. It reminded him a bit of Ayamine.

"Oh, Takashi! That's so cute! It even looks a bit like Emi-chan," Mitsukuni said, standing beside him on his tip toes, gazing intently at the toy.

"Ah."

So it wasn't just him. It _did_ look a bit like her. He turned to Mitsukuni and handed it to him. His cousin smiled up at him understandingly. "I think this'll make a nice get well gift for her," the small blonde said.

So Mitsukuni liked it, too. It was settled, they were going to buy it for her. "I think we should get a nice matching gift box for it, and get it wrapped. I'm sure she'd like that!" Mitsukuni said and hopped off to the counter excitedly. Kyoya had been standing near it this entire time, fiddling with the notes he always took with him. He'd most likely been waiting for everyone to be done with their shopping.

Haruhi was also making her way over to the counter. "Oh, that's a cute toy," she said, picking up the plush. "Mm-mm!" Mitsukuni said, flowers rotating around him. "Takashi and I picked it out for Emi-chan!" Haruhi simply gave him a smile and put down the toy. "That's very nice of you two, I'm sure she'll like it."

It seemed to attract Kyoya's attention, as well, as he lowered his notes and stared at the toy. Mori peered at him. Was it just him or had the dark-haired boy just glared a life's worth of evil stares into the innocent stuffed animal? But a certain blonde interrupted Mori's train of thoughts.

"Haruhi!"

Mori turned around. A twirling, joyful Tamaki just appeared out of nowhere. And he was carrying just about every toy they had available in the store... The worker had a horrified look on his face and seemed a bit unsure whether he should say something to the obviously crazy customer.

"Daddy will buy you all the cute stuffed animals in the world!" Some of the toys were falling all over the floor around Tamaki.

Haruhi glared at the blonde. "Senpai, please put everything back, you're making a mess!" She then turned to the bewildered worker behind the counter and gave a polite bow. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, sir, we'll make sure to clean up after him."

Mitsukuni ended up picking out a light blue box that had pink strawberries printed on it. It was sealed with a powder pink ribbon. Mori was glad he had Mitsukuni there in times like that. If he was honest, he probably wouldn't have matched everything as nicely as his cousin.

All in all, he enjoyed their shopping spree, and hoped at that moment the gift would be to Emiko's liking.

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><p>They arrived at the hospital where Ayamine was staying. The busy building clearly belonged to the Ootori family, as the rushing staff immediately recognised Kyoya and stopped everything they were doing in order to accommodate him. He waved them off and asked to be taken to Ayamine's room.<p>

Mori was the last to enter, as they all crammed through the open door after knocking. And there she was, a small girl that looked much like Mitsukuni in some ways. She was bundled up in a mass of blankets, but there were unmistakeable bunny patterns on her pyjamas that were peering through above the covers. Her forehead was covered by a mess of bangs, and the rest of her long light brown hair rested on her small frame in an unruly manner. She didn't seem like she had been expecting company. And the moment the host club entered, her already big brown eyes seemed to grow bigger, and the flush on her cheeks became deeper, making her look more feverish than she already did.

"Hello, Emiko-san!" Tamaki was the first to speak, followed by a unison of greetings from the rest.

She simply sat there, staring at them, as if trying to figure out if they were real. "Hello," she said slowly. She closed the book she'd been holding in her hands, and put it to the side. "I'm sorry for my appearance, I wasn't expecting anyone," she said, seemingly embarrassed. Her small hands pulled up the sheets closer to her chest.

"Don't worry, we won't be disturbing you for too long," Kyoya said, putting on one of his polite smiles. "We just came to share our notes with you, and wish you a fast recovery."

She smiled back at Kyoya, and seemed to relax a bit at his words. "It's so nice of you all to visit, I'm very flattered that you thought of me. Kyoya-san, Tamaki-san and Mori-senpai, it's so nice to see you all again. I don't think I know the rest of you, though, I'm sorry. My name is Ayamine Emiko, class 2-A. It's a pleasure to meet you."

It was Haruhi's turn, and she bowed politely at Emiko. "I am Fujioka Haruhi, class 1-A. It's a pleasure to meet you, as well." She finished the introduction with a warm smile that could melt the coldest of hearts, producing a slight blush on Emiko's cheeks.

When the Hitachiin brothers introducted themselves next, it seemed almost sluggish. Mori knew enough to guess they were bored with the entire situation and wanted something to do. They weren't ones to sit still. Nor were they polite enough to pretend like they were enjoying themselves.

Mitsukuni bounced up to Emiko, producing shiny rotating pink flowers all around him. "Emiko-chan! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni, class 3-A. But you can call me Honey."

Emiko was staring at Mori's cousin with big brown eyes, reminding him of the stuffed cat they'd gotten her. Her face was now a flaming scarlet and she had a wide smile on her face. It was the effect Mori's cousin had on girls. Most of them found him irresistibly cute. It seemed so did Emiko, and that somehow pleased Mori. Maybe because it meant she was a bit like how Mori had imagined her to be.

Emiko seemed so happy about the gifts they gave her. She looked like Mitsukuni did in the candy shop. Wide-eyed, red-faced, and a huge smile that didn't seem to falter. Mori felt pleased with himself.

Before they left, she promised to repay their kindness, and bring back the notes to Tamaki and Kyoya on Monday.

Just before they stepped out of the hospitals bounds, Haruhi stopped. "Kyoya, why was she so surprised when we came? I thought you and Tamaki had this planned for a while now? Didn't you notify her?"

Kyoya stopped walking as well. He turned to Haruhi slowly. "I guess I forgot." His face bore a smile, but it seemed more distant than his usual smiles.

Since when did Kyoya Ootori forget these things? He lived and breathed organising everything, including notifying people.

Kyoya turned around and started to walk away. The twins shrugged and followed him, not seeming to care. But by the look on Haruhi's and Tamaki's face, the two were thinking the same as Mori. Tamaki was staring at the back of Kyoya with a concerned expression on his face, but both him and Haruhi decided not to press the matter.

Mori looked at Mitsukuni, who returned his stare, frowning and shaking his head slightly. He'd noticed it, too.

But right now, all of them decided to push their worries aside, and followed the trio. They still had some sight-seeing to do for today, so it was most likely to keep the good mood. But despite that, Mori was determined to keep an eye on Kyoya. Something was off, and he didn't like it.


End file.
